Despegar Acquisition, Valuation, Funding & Investors

Despegar was acquired by Prosus for $1.7B in December 2024, a 2.2x multiple on $761M of revenue.

Despegar acquisition price

$1.7B

Acquired by Prosus · Dec 2024

Despegar revenue at acquisition

$761M

Last twelve months · Dec 2024

Despegar revenue multiple at acquisition

2.2x

EV/Revenue · Dec 2024

Despegar EBITDA multiple at acquisition

9.9x

EV/EBITDA · Dec 2024

Despegar Overview

About Despegar

Despegar is a Miami-headquartered online travel agency targeting Latin American and Spanish-speaking markets in countries including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay, and Spain. Founded in 1999, the company facilitates bookings for flights via airlines like LATAM and Aerolíneas Argentinas, hotel reservations through chains such as Accor, car rentals from Hertz, and bundled vacation packages for leisure and business travelers.


Founded

1999

HQ

ArgentinaBuenos Aires

Status

Acquired

Customer focus

B2C

Revenue model

Commission

Revenue

$761M (Dec 2024)

Valuation

$1.6B (Mar 2015)

Despegar Acquisition

Despegar was acquired by Prosus for $1.7B on 23 December 2024.

The acquisition price implies a 2.2x revenue and 9.9x EBITDA multiple on $761M of revenue.

Before the acquisition Despegar had raised $320M across 2 funding rounds.

Despegar, Latin America’s leading online travel agency (OTA) operating in 19 countries under brands including Despegar, Decolar, Best Day, Viajes Falabella, Viajanet Stays, and Koin, was acquired by Prosus, a global technology investor building e-commerce ecosystems in growth markets. Prosus completed the all-cash acquisition of all outstanding shares of Despegar (NYSE: DESP), incorporated in the British Virgin Islands, for $19.50 per share, equating to an enterprise value of approximately $1.7 billion—a 33% premium to the December 20, 2024 closing price and 34% to the 90-day VWAP. The deal, announced December 23, 2024, as a BVI statutory merger, received Despegar board and shareholder approval, regulatory clearances, and closed May 15, 2025, funded by Prosus’s existing cash; Despegar became a wholly-owned Prosus subsidiary. The acquisition bolsters Prosus’s Latin America ecosystem, expanding it to serve over 100 million customers across food delivery (iFood), classifieds (OLX Brazil), events (Sympla), fintech, and now travel, with combined ~$20 billion GMV and +$500 million e-commerce EBIT post-transaction. Strategic rationale centers on Despegar’s top brand awareness, profitability, strong management, and market position in Latin America’s growing OTA sector, enhanced by Prosus’s customer touchpoints, operational expertise, and AI capabilities to drive cross-platform growth, loyalty, and new revenue streams. Prosus CEO Fabricio Bloisi highlighted accelerating Despegar’s expansion within this complementary portfolio, positioning it as the region’s #1 lifestyle e-commerce player.

Despegar acquisition details
AcquirerDateTypePriceEV/RevenueEV/EBITDA
23 Dec 2024Strategic M&A$1.7B2.2x9.9x

Despegar Valuation

Despegar is currently valued at $1.6B, based on its undisclosed-stage round in March 2015.

The $270M round was led by Expedia.

Despegar valuation by funding round

Despegar valuation by funding round
DateStageValuation
Mar 2015Undisclosed stage$1.6B

Despegar Funding History

Despegar has raised a total of $320M across 2 funding rounds.

Despegar's first fundraising round was a $50M undisclosed-stage round in August 2013. The most recent completed round was a $270M undisclosed-stage round in March 2015.

Despegar funding rounds

Despegar funding rounds
DateStageInvestorsRaisedValuationDeal Summary
Mar 2015Undisclosed stageExpedia (lead)$270M$1.6BDespegar, operating as Decolar.com, is the largest online travel agency in Latin America, founded in 1999 and based in Argentina. It provides booking services for flights, hotels, and other travel options across 21 countries, primarily in Latin America, with over 500 airlines and 150,000 hotels in its portfolio. The company expanded rapidly by acquiring competitors and opening offices in key markets. On March 10, 2015, Expedia invested $270 million for a minority stake of approximately 20% in Decolar.com, comprising primary and secondary investments. This valued the company at $1.35 billion post-money, expanding a partnership dating back to 2002 where Expedia powers hotel supply and gains access to Decolar's regional hotel inventory. Decolar remains independent, with Expedia assisting in marketing while both benefit from mutual supply access. The deal fits Expedia's expansion strategy, following acquisitions like Travelocity ($280M) and Orbitz ($1.6B). Despegar's investors include Tiger Global, General Atlantic, and others. Later growth notes average 30% annual expansion and mobile bookings at 50% of revenues. This investment positioned Despegar as a regional leader amid global OTA consolidation, with potential for IPO given favorable market conditions.
Aug 2013Undisclosed stageTiger Global (lead)$50M-Despegar is an online travel agency based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, founded in 1999, operating as a leading homegrown platform in Latin America for booking flights, hotels, and activities. It had raised prior rounds totaling US$31.5M from investors including HM Capital, Merrill Lynch, Newbridge Andean Partners, and Sequoia Capital before later developments. Tiger Global is listed among its private investors in multiple press releases from 2013 related to other companies. The company went public in 2017 on the NYSE at a valuation of US$1.7B, with Tiger Global holding a majority stake of 57.3% pre-IPO and Expedia as another key shareholder. Post-IPO coverage in 2020 highlights Despegar's market position in Latin America, with revenue projections like $374M for FY2022 and EBITDA of $50M, alongside ownership by Tiger Global (over 13%) and Expedia (14%).

Who has invested in Despegar?

2 investors have backed Despegar across its funding rounds, including Tiger Global and Expedia.

Lead investors include Expedia and Tiger Global.


Despegar Investors

Investors in Despegar by funding rounds participated
InvestorHQRoundsRoleFirst check

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Acquisitions by Despegar

Despegar has acquired 3 companies to date.

Last acquisition by Despegar was on May 6th 2022. Despegar acquired ViajaNet for $15M.


Latest Acquisitions by Despegar

ViajaNet
Koin
Best Day
Description
ViajaNet is an online travel agency selling airline tickets, hotel reservations, travel packages, and insurance. Headquartered in São Caetano do Sul, Brazil, since 2009, it provides tourism-related services including car rentals and excursions. The platform targets South American markets with multilingual support and partnerships with major carriers for comprehensive travel planning.
Koin is a São Paulo-headquartered buy-now-pay-later provider operating in Brazil and Mexico, offering installment payments via Pix and credit lines for e-commerce purchases without credit checks. The platform includes an anti-fraud system using machine learning for transaction verification. Acquired by Despegar in 2020, Koin processes millions of transactions annually for merchants like Magazine Luiza and expands B2B financing solutions across Latin America.
Best Day is a Mexico City-headquartered online travel agency booking flights, hotels, vacation packages, and car rentals across Latin America. It serves over 10 million annual users through its Spanish-language platform, partnering with airlines like Aeromexico and Volaris, plus hotel chains such as Marriott and Hilton. The agency emphasizes all-inclusive resorts in Cancun, Riviera Maya, and Puerto Vallarta, alongside city breaks in Mexico City and Guadalajara. Mobile app features include price alerts and flexible payment plans.
HQ CountryBrazilBrazilMexico
HQ City
São Caetano do Sul
São Paulo
Cancún
Deal Date6 May 202220 Aug 202027 Jan 2020
Valuation$15M$5M$136M
EV/Revenue
EV/EBITDA

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Despegar Competitors

Despegar competitors include listed companies like TBO.com and HBX Group, and private ones like Tujia, BlaBlaCar, GetYourGuide and Mafengwo.

Public and private companies comparable to Despegar
CompanyHQStatusRevenueEBITDAValuationRevenue Multiple
TBO.comIndiaIndiaPublicly listed$262M$41M$1.8B5.2x
TujiaChinaBeijingPrivate--$1.5B-
HBX GroupSpainSpainPublicly listed$896M$218M$2B3.3x
BlaBlaCarFranceParisPrivate$291M-$2B6.9x
GetYourGuideGermanyBerlinPrivate--$2B-
MafengwoChinaBeijingPrivate--$2B-

Despegar Public Comps

Despegar is no longer listed, but its public comps include TBO.com, HBX Group, Tripadvisor, Web Travel Group, Trainline, Ixigo, eDreams ODIGEO, trivago, On The Beach Group and Tongcheng Travel.

Last FYEV/RevenueEV/EBITDA
RevenueEBITDALast FYLTM2027ELast FYLTM2027E
TBO.com$262M$41M6.7x5.2x43.2x34.3x
HBX Group$896M$218M3.0x3.3x12.4x5.7x
Tripadvisor$1.9B$160M0.6x0.6x6.8x4.2x
Web Travel Group$280M$86M2.7x2.6x8.8x7.0x
Trainline$608M$221M1.9x1.9x5.3x4.8x
Ixigo$128M$8M5.0x4.5x83.7x57.8x
eDreams ODIGEO$770M$161M1.1x1.1x5.4x5.3x
trivago$632M$13M0.5x0.5x24.3x10.9x

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Common questions about Despegar

When was Despegar founded?Despegar was founded in 1999.
Where is Despegar headquartered?Despegar is headquartered in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Is Despegar publicly listed?No, Despegar was acquired by Prosus in December 2024.
Who acquired Despegar?Despegar was acquired by Prosus in December 2024.
How much was Despegar acquired for?Despegar was acquired for $1.7B in December 2024, a 2.2x revenue multiple.
What is Despegar's valuation?Despegar was last valued at $1.6B in its undisclosed-stage round in March 2015.
How much funding has Despegar raised?Despegar has raised $320M across 2 funding rounds.
What was Despegar's last funding round?Despegar's last funding round was a $270M undisclosed-stage round in March 2015, led by Expedia.
Who are Despegar's investors?Despegar's investors include Tiger Global and Expedia.
Which companies are comparable to Despegar?Companies comparable to Despegar include TBO.com, Tujia, HBX Group, BlaBlaCar, GetYourGuide and Mafengwo.
How many companies has Despegar acquired?Despegar has acquired 3 companies, including ViajaNet, Koin and Best Day.
What was the largest acquisition by Despegar?The $136M acquisition of Best Day in January 2020 is the largest acquisition Despegar has made to date.

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